Car-brake



" (No Model.)

AA. C. ROLAND 8v A. HARPER.

GAB. BRAKE. No. 274,144. Patented Ma.1.`20,1883.

v v u. v. .1 .A ...I

A A A M L l M. v 3.1). v

N UNiTED STATES PATENT eine" ALBERT C. ROLAND AND ADRIAN HARPER, OFALBUQUERQUE, TERRITORY OF NEW MEXICO.

cARBRAKe.

SPECFICATIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 274=,144, dated March20,1883. Application flied January 4, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: l

Be it known that we, ALBERT C. ROLAND and ADRIAN HARPER,- citizens ofthe United States, residing at Albuquerque, in the county of Bernalilloand Territory ol' New Mexico, have invented a new and useful AutomaticBrake, ot' which the following is a specification, reference being hadto the accom pan ying drawings. 1o This invention relates to automaticbrakes Y for cars, &c., and has for its object to provide a simple andefficient brake that will instantly1 and automatically operate with anydesired degree of power, and that is especially for use on trains ot'cars, when it will be under complete control of the engineer.

To this end it consists substantially in a system lofcontinuously-applied brakes that y are held from operation when desired,and have zo only to be releasedwhen they instantly and automaticallyapply.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view'ot' the under side ot' a carequipped with our improved system of automatically-applied brakes.

Fig. 2 is an end view ot' the same. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectionalview on the line a: x, Fig. l.

Referring tothe drawings, A designates the car. which is providedwithitrucks B B at each 3o end, as usual. From under the bottom C of'the car are suspended the brake-beams D,

j which `carry the' ybrake-shoes E,`and to the bottom C, at about thecenter, is pivoted a transverse lever, F. To the leverF is pivoted apiston-rod, Gr,which works in a cylinder, H,

that is secured to the bottom of the car, the

said pistonr0d being provided with a head, I,

against which the tension ofl a coiled spring,

-J, is exerted to operate the pist-cured. To

`4o provide means for regulating the tension of 'the sprin g J ,so thatthepressure of the brakes can be varied and regulated as desired, theheaded end of the piston-rod G Ais screwthreaded, as shown at K, and on.this screwthreaded end worksanut, L,adjustable against the head of thepiston, whereby the said head ofthe piston can bet'orced forward onthe'latter to compress the spring J. This above-described cylinder andspring -actuated piston mechanism `may be appliedfto both ends of 5o thelever F, and it may be duplicated and applied at other points when greatpower is desired.

To the transverse lever F, at each side its fulcrum, is pivoted a rod,M, that is pivoted at V its other end to a lever, N, t'nlcrumed on thebrake-beam at the end of the car, and to the other end oftheselevei's NNis pivoted a rod, O, that extends to and'is pivotcd on the innerbrake-beam, as shown. t Y

The spring-actuated piston above described serves to keep the brakescontinuously applied with all their force; but to' enablelthe brakes tobe held from operation when the car is in motion, the chain Pot' theusual hand 65 brake-wheel, Q, at the end of the car is connected by apivoted rod, R, with the lever F. By means of this operating mechanism,when the hand-wheel is turned to wind its chain,. the lever F is drawntoward the hand-wheel, 7o which movement causes the spring J to becompressed bythe head of the piston-rod, and when the lever F is thusheld against the tension ofthe spring the series oi' rods M and lever Noperate to throw the different brakebeams from the wheels, so that thepressure ot' the shoes on the brake-beams is removed from all the wheelsot' the car. The position ofthe various levers and connecting-rods, whenthe brake is out of operation, is shown by 8o dotted lines, Fig. l ofthe drawings. t

The hand brake-wheels Q lare pruvided with the usual ratchet-disk, S,that is engaged by the pivoted dog or pawlT, by means of which mechanismthe brakes may be drawn and held out of operation, so that theapplication of the brakes may be regulated and governed as desired bythe brakcman.

`When the car is in motion the brakes are simply held outof operation bythe hand brake- 9o wheel, so that when it is desired to apply ythebrakes it is only necessary to kick the dog 'I' out of engagement withthe ratchet-disk of the hand-wheel, when all the brakes will instantlyapply with all their force. It will be therefore seen that theapplication ot' the brake is effectt ed very much quicker, as they haveonly to be released, than it could possibly bedone where 2 l I, Y 274mmthe brakesare .normally out of operation and have to be applied byforce.

1n a train ot' cars that are equipped with this improvedcontinuously-applied brake mechanism the brakes of the different carsaregconf nected together by coupling the release-rods (shown at U)together. These release-rods are pivoted to both ends ofthe transverselever F,

land extend therefrom in both directions to the end of the car. Thecoupling by which the ends of these rods U ofthe different cars areconnected may be ofany suitable construction, and is preferably weakerthan the other portions of the release apparatus, so that should a breakin the train occur the coupling will part, and this damage can be morereadily replaced without delay by substituting a new coupling than couldany damage to the brake mechanism itself.

When in a train of cars 'the brake mechanism of the different cars isthus connected together suitable releasing mechanism is provided on thelocomotive, whereby the brake mechanism of the entire train is undercontrol ofthe engineer. This mechanism is not shown in the drawings, butit preferably consists of a cylinder permanently secured to thelocomotive or tender, and having a piston connected with the rods U andcapableof sufficient power to draw the latter so as to hold the brakesof the entire train from operation. This piston may be operated by'steamor water power, the latter being preferred. The water is introduced tothe cylinder, under pressure, through a suitable connecting-pipeentering the boiler under or below the water-1ine,this connectingpipebeing connected with acock of suitable construction situated convenientto the engineer, by manipulating which the water-supply is governed tooperate the brakes of the train.

Should the train part, which sometimes occurs on upgrade, the brakesofthe reardisconnected portion instantlyapply as soon as theirconnection with the front portion of the train is broken,while thebrakes ot' the front portion of the train are as much under the controlof the engineer as before the disconnection.

By reference to the foregoing description, taken in connection with thedrawings hereto annexed, the operation and advantages ofourinventionwillbereadilyunderstood. Theco'nstruction and system of theherein-described brake mechanism are very simple and inexpensive, andits operation is instantaneous and infallible.

We claim as our inventione As an improvement in car-brakes, thecombination of the transverse lever F, fulcrumed about centrally underthe car, the cylinder H, arranged under the car, the coiled spring J,retained in the cylinder, the piston-rods G, having a head, I, againstwhich the tension ofthe spring is exerted, and screw-theaded head K,carrying nut L, adjustable against the head, said piston-rods beingpivoted to the lever F at the side of its f'ulcrum, and connecting-rodsM, N, and O, pivoted to the lever and brakebeams, as set forth.

In testimony that we claim-the foregoingfas our own we have heretoaffixed our signatures in presence ot two witnesses.

ALBERT C. ROLAND. ADRIAN HARPER. Witnesses:

H. L. PIcKIN, WILLIAM B. GHILDERS.

